In the final months of 2023, the Swedish government finally put sexual exploitation on the agenda and presented three important inquiries. These inquiries focus on stronger legal protections for young people, exit programs, and the vulnerabilities within pornography. The issues and inquiries are crucial for Sweden’s efforts to combat prostitution and some of the proposed measures have long been advocated for by civil society. RealStars has, of course, read and reviewed the inquiries, which we summarize in three separate blog posts. Here you can read about the investigation “Sexual Exploitation for Pornographic Purposes – Violence Exposure that Needs to Be Made Visible.”
Lack of knowledge about vulnerability in pornography
In 2022 it was decided that an investigation into the protection, support and care for individuals subjected to abuse during the production or distribution of pornography would be initiated due to an identified knowledge gap. For example, there was a lack of information on how common this type of abuse is, its consequences, and the availability of protection, support, and care. The investigation is important as we see parallels and similarities between individuals exploited in prostitution and those exploited in pornography with factors such as high rates of mental health issues, the need for trauma treatment and previous sexual abuse common to both groups—which are often the same individuals. Despite this, existing support is insufficient, something this investigation aims to change.
The investigation’s proposed improvements include the following:
In the agreements on mental health and suicide prevention, that the government regularly enters into with the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SKR), 100 million SEK per year should be allocated so that children who have been sexually abused are identified and receive adequate protection, support and care.
The government should designate funds, for research on sexual exploitation and its consequences, in the upcoming research bill. These funds should enable researchers to monitor and evaluate methods for support and treatment.
The government should instruct agencies, among them, the National Board of Health and Welfare to ensure that national guidelines with competence-building initiatives are available. Professionals in healthcare, social services, and other relevant sectors currently lack the resources and knowledge to identify individuals who have been sexually exploited in pornography and to offer adequate protection, support and care. RealStars emphasizes the importance of collaboration with non-profit organizations, which possess extensive knowledge of the target group and the issues involved.
The government should permanently allocate funds to finance the type of hotline that the child rights organization ECPAT Sweden operates to help children remove sexual abuse material from the internet.
The government should task the Swedish Police Authority with assessing the need for knowledge-enhancing measures and developing practices. Currently, there are no established procedures to detect the production and distribution of pornographic depictions in cases of sexual offenses.
The importance of preventative measures
RealStars welcomes the investigation’s specific and clear proposals with distinct responsible actors. The investigation also emphasizes the importance of preventive work, something RealStars is particularly pleased about, as we have stressed the need for preventive efforts since our founding in 2010 and have long fought to reduce demand, including through educational initiatives in schools, Thai massage salons, and other business sectors. The fight against demand has long been underfunded and underprioritized, despite being key to achieving a zero-tolerance vision for commercial sexual exploitation.